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From what I understand, 12 teams are qualified directly and 4 more come through the qualies. Then, those 16 teams are drawn into 4 groups. After the main round, there will be Playoffs 6 (the top ranked teams of their groups + 2 best 2nd ranked I suppose) and final 4, as usual.

TUR, RUS, POL and AZE get 3 teams in the CL, two qualfied directly and one to compete in the qualies.
Italy only with two teams, though, one directly in the main round and one in the qualies.

This post has been edited 1 times, last edit by "JoanaBG" (Mar 30th 2016, 7:43pm)

That's the problem with cumulative rankings, they're not necessarily indicative of the current situation. Italian league is recovering, while Azerbaijani volleyball is in a freefall, but you don't see it yet in the ranking table.

I think it's far from certain that the third AZE or POL will qualify. I hope Prostejov will make it in.
In general, this new format should hopefully mean more exciting matches and fewer blowouts.

Pool stage of champions League was to boring this season. CEV Increased spots otherwise Azeri and Fran dicreases Budget.

End of wild card. And a Solid and clear Schedulle.

I don't know if the better teams will qualify after 3 rounds.. An example Dínamo Krasnodar faces Novara very soon in CEV Cup last Season. In male we can remember Perugia x Dínamo Moscow playing in CEV CUP perhaps the 2 teams with highest budget in this competition.

bad news not only for German participants in CL

For sure some aims are realized by this reform. But others are definitely not.

First, the true order of strength of leagues I think is currently

1. Turkey
2. Russia (same as in most recent 2017 league order by CEV)
3. Italy (of course, they are not innocent for their bad CEV ranking, because they simply didn't took part most often the last years in CEV cup at all and wasted a lot of points easily made otherwise and won by others therefore)
4. Poland (aside from Italy behind okay)
5. Germany

because indeed the current season and recent events show rapid decay of the Baku clubs. Switzerland is pretty weak generally, with the sole exception of extremely strong Volero ZÜRICH. This is also a little twisting the orders: countries with not so strong leagues (France is another example), but one outstanding team (in France RC Cannes). This is more accidentally not too far away from 2017 ranking currently.

And I think, already Germany had no voice at all in this change of CL rules. All "stakeholders" here in Germany were pretty much surprised, while Polish sources already knew something, leaking some details before. And it is fatal for the Bundesliga teams for certain reasons: although being 5th best league in the pool phase they stand no chance against most superiour league participants in just four groups, at most a tiny one. This compressed format render them default losers (as the still overrated Azeri clubs) and the vice champion is affected even worse: playing the qualifying will IMHO finally result in confrontation with Russian third place championship team, which is mission impossibe (assuming setting second against seventh league qualifying participants in last qualification round). So they fall down to CEV cup after playing likely two (at least) qualifying rounds before with chances to get pretty far in CEV cup as seen currently with Schweriner SC - but there are so many rounds to play than, not decreasing, but increasing load of dutiful (CEV) matches in the season. This is opposed to CEV chief Boricic rational plan to limit numbers of matches to play for each team, because these are too high - which is partly also due to FIVB and national leagues of course.

Of course we can't be sure of all details of real 2017 season coming, but the sketched szenario seems likely to me.

Good news it is to Volero ZÜRICH, which has now fixed place in CL pool phase (round 4), because new 8 instead of until now 7 countries get a fixed place there, and Volero clearly deserves it.

But German teams are always good tactically, good defense and so on... so many peolpes supporten the home team.. Amazing Crowd. I didnt know why German clubs dont develop theirs budget.. German its a Rich Country besides people tell Voley its not popular and why so many peolple goes to see the matches.

Seems more fair this new system. It's not good to chears for a competition with bad level of the matches... This recently Champions League was really painfull to watch.

bad start for new CL format

Yesterday publicly announced: both the second and third of Polish championship, Atom Trefl Sopot and Impel Wroclaw (Breslau) withdrew from CL 2017.

Sopot claimed financial reasons (would have a fixed place in group phase) and Wroclaw, that it is designed only for potential winners now, so they don't take part in CL qualification process. (also two PlusLiga clubs withdraw, Gdansk (Danzig) and Lubin)

This bad reaction by Polish clubs is no good news for this new format. Only champion Chemik Police will take part with its fixed berth in the CL.

That nothing was generally reported nor the list of participants published yet, is a clear sign IMHO, that they are clueless at CEV now...

Regarding Bundesliga: there is a multitude of reasons, why we do not better in international comparison, what is a pity, especially because volleyball playing at schools is widespread: too low ranking against another teamsports here (there is soccer in the first three places felt, than handball, basketball and icehockey, and only afterwards volleyball), too scarce serious education places for young ambitioned players (just four centers of national importance in Münster, Schwerin, Dresden, Stuttgart) and too bad job future perspectives, and beach volleyball seems to large parts of the young players more attractive... Under these circumstances even our strongest clubs in Germany like Dresden, Stuttgart and Schwerin can't keep up with superior clubs from leagues like Italy or Poland, not to speak of Turkey and Russia at all. Dresden will have the hardest time ever in coming CL, and it was straightforward for Stuttgart to give up CL qualification process (because it was hopeless, like Wroclaw stated as even stronger team) and to join Schwerin in CEV cup...

comments (personal) regarding the CL participants 2017

As expected Turkey and Russia clubs took all 2+1 berths as they qualified in their national leagues.

Deviations as already announced came by Poland: Chemik POLICE remains as only group phase fixed Polish club, after vice champion Atom Trefl Sopot retreated from CL for financial reasons completely, as qualifyer MKS DABROWA GORNICA replaces Impel WROCLAW (Breslau), who claimed that qualification being too difficult for non-CL-champion-capable teams. Inheritance was done by Romanian Champion Alba BLAJ, which would been only eligible for qualification process otherwise.

The rather weak (financial bottlenecks) clubs from BAKU, Azerrail and Telekom, take part anyway. But Lokomotiv BAKU doesn't take part in qualification for CL group phase.

The French clubs will have an extremely hard time, St-RAPHAEL takes part as newbie, but is without the slightest chance IMHO, RC CANNES with even less money than last season has no chance to qualify for group phase (likely opponent: Liu Jo Nordmeccanica MODENA, which was fusioned with Piacenza).

German vice champion Allianz MTV STUTTGART also doesn't take part for similar reasons like Impel WROCLAW and starts in CEV cup instead.

Czech champion Agel PROSTEJOV may have a chance to qualify against DABROWA GORNICZA, this can become interesting (if the pairings are due league rankings). Also HAIFA (Israel) and BRCKO (Bosnia-Herzegowina) are considered rather weak by me, although they are directly qualified for the CL qualification rounds.

Not participating are also Asterix KIELDRECHT (Belgium) and Olympiacos PIRAEUS (Greece).

Not directly eligible national champions are six (at the bottom of the list), I fear, they will be wiped out badly by the stronger teams, they had to announce via their leagues additionally their participation.